1. Technical Field
This invention relates to carrying bags and, more particularly, to an illuminated cosmetic carrying bag for storing and displaying cosmetic items.
2. Prior Art
An indispensable accessory carried by millions of women is a handbag. A handbag, also known as a pocket book or purse, can be manufactured from a variety of materials such as leather, straw, canvas, or silk and is designed to efficiently store a woman's personal belongings. Manufactured in a variety of sizes, colors and styles, all intended to appeal to the individual needs of the consumer, handbags are used for everything from carrying an extra tube of lipstick to storing wallets, cellular telephones, important papers and even extra clothing. Regardless of whether one is clutching a fancy beaded evening bag, a practical and stylish midsize purse, or a bulky, oversized tote loaded with enough supplies to last a lifetime, for most women, a handbag is the one necessity they will never leave home without.
Although there is little dispute that handbags are practical and necessary items, use of one is not always without drawbacks. Specifically, trying to locate individual items stored within the handbag can sometimes be difficult. Not surprisingly, items such as a cellular telephone, favorite tube of lipstick or even a toll ticket can be extremely difficult to locate when piled into a purse along with items such as a wallet, receipts, personal hygiene products and cosmetics. This problem is of particular concern during evening hours, or when one is in a darkened night club or similar environment.
As many female consumers would attest, feeling their way around a wallet, loose change, eyeglasses and various receipts, all in order to find a stick of chewing gum or breath mint before meeting a blind date in a darkened dance club, can be a frustrating experience. Impractical, the problem of not being able to clearly see within one's handbag can also be dangerous. As scary as it might seem, standing beside one's car in a deserted parking garage or outside one's apartment door, while aimlessly hunting through a crowded satchel in search of a set of car or door keys, can leave a woman vulnerable and even susceptible to attack. Obviously, it would be advantageous to provide a means for enabling persons to easily locate and access the various contents of their purse at all times.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,365 to Siegel discloses a organizer handbag having an internal compartment divided by transverse partition panels into multiple sub-compartments. Various storage components such as a removable card carrying case, pocketbook, key retainer and pouch are secured at said partitions. An external storage pouch for letters and documents is secured to one side of the handbag. Interior pockets for sundry items are also provided. In the closed position, a hinged external flap obscures the internal organizer storage components for security and to give a relatively trim and chic exterior appearance. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not include an illumination device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,582 to Whitfield discloses a compartmented handbag having a plurality of interior compartments including a directional map that identifies the contents and/or locations of the compartments within the handbag, making the contents of the compartments easily accessible. The compartments are numbered and the directional map includes a list of the numbered compartments and identifying indicia which is individually correlated to correspond with the compartments. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not include an illumination device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,074 to Roegner discloses a purse for carrying and organizing various articles with compartments, panels, pockets and flaps shaped, sized, located and connected to each other in a manner that allows superior securement of and access to articles of certain shapes (such as drinking bottles, umbrellas, eyeglasses, credit cards and so on), while also including segregated storage spaces to allow additional storage of all kinds of other articles. The purse of the present invention may be implemented as an organizing insert that can be switched between a variety of outer shells, as fashion, weather conditions and whim dictate. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not include an illumination device.
Accordingly, the present invention is disclosed in order to overcome the above noted shortcomings. The present invention is convenient and easy to use, lightweight yet durable in design, and designed for storing and displaying cosmetic items. The illuminated cosmetic carrying device is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use.